Expert Meeting on Dynamic and New Sectors of World Trade

The São Paulo Consensus mandates UNCTAD to convene sectoral trade reviews of dynamic sectors in world trade. In accordance with this mandate, the Commission on Trade, in Goods, Services and Commodities, at its ninth session in 2005, decided to convene annual Expert Meetings on promoting participation by developing countries in dynamic and new sectors of world trade and decided to consider following three sectors at the next Expert Meeting: (i) electronics, (ii) marine products, and (iii) steel and related specialty products. This will be the second intergovernmental expert meeting on new and dynamic sectors. The  first sectoral review meeting  was convened in Geneva during 7-9 February 2005¹.

The Expert Meeting will review national and international policies and actions to enhance developing-country participation in the above-mentioned three sectors. In particular, it will seek to address a number of key questions in this regard, such as: What are the trends in developing countries´ participation in these sectors? What kinds of opportunities do they offer to developing countries to ensure development gains from international trade? What are the key determinants of developing countries´ participation in these sectors? What are the national and international policy imperatives to promote their increased and beneficial participation? How should such policies respond to issues such as supply capacity, productivity, technological endowment and competitiveness; domestic and foreign investment; market access and entry conditions; changing demand and preferences; and regional division of labour? What role should international trading and financial systems, including trade negotiations, as well as global market structures and development cooperation play in ensuring the success of such policies?